730408 - Lecture SB 01.14.44 - New York

Lectures by Date, 1973

730408SB-NEW YORK - April 08, 1973 (evening) - 33:17 Minutes

(video 00:31)

Pradyumna: (devotees repeating)

. . . ātma-bandhunā—own friend Lord Kṛṣṇa; śūnyaḥ—void; asmi—I am; rahitaḥ—having lost; nityam—for all time; manyase—you think; te—your; anyathā—otherwise; na—never; ruk—mental distress.

Translation: "Or is it that you are . . .

(audio begins)

. . . feeling empty for all time because you might have lost your most intimate friend, Lord Kṛṣṇa? O my brother Arjuna, I can think of no other reason for your becoming so dejected." (SB 1.14.44)

(video 01:25)

Prabhupāda: Hmm. So Kṛṣṇa was the intimate friend of Arjuna. Not only to Arjuna; all the Pāṇḍavas. So they cannot tolerate separation from Kṛṣṇa. This is the sign of Kṛṣṇa devotee. Caitanya Mahāprabhu said that, "I have no love for Kṛṣṇa." The verse, just now I forget. Na prema-gandho 'sti (CC Madhya 2.45). "So you have no love for Kṛṣṇa. You are always crying for Kṛṣṇa, and still you say that you have no love for Kṛṣṇa?" "No, I am crying just to make a show. Actually I am not devotee of Kṛṣṇa." "Why?" That "Because if I could have been a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, how could I live without Him? I have not died, still. That means I have no love for Kṛṣṇa." This is the sign of love—that a lover cannot live for a moment without being associated with the beloved. This is sign of love.

So this love, it can be appreciated only between Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa or between the gopīs and Kṛṣṇa; not otherwise. Actually we do not know what is the meaning of love. Just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu said, that:

āśliṣya vā pāda-ratāṁ pinaṣṭu mām

marma-hatāṁ karotu vā adarśanā

yathā tathā vā vidadhātu lampaṭo

mat-prāṇa-nāthas tu sa eva nāparaḥ

(CC Antya 20.47, Śikṣāṣṭaka 8)

yugāyitaṁ nimeṣeṇa

cakṣuṣā prāvṛṣāyitam

śūnyāyitaṁ jagat sarvaṁ

govinda-viraheṇa me

(CC Antya 20.39, Śikṣāṣṭaka 7)

Govinda-vira. Vira means separation. Meant, Rādhārani . . . Caitanya Mahāprabhu was playing the part of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī. Kṛṣṇa, when He could not understand Himself . . . Kṛṣṇa is unlimited. He is so unlimited that Kṛṣṇa Himself cannot understand. That is unlimited. The unlimited cannot understand about His unlimitedness. Therefore Kṛṣṇa took the ecstasy of Śrīmatī Rādhārāṇī, and that is Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. That picture is very nice: Kṛṣṇa, taking the ecstasy, love of Rādhārāṇī, appears as Śrī Caitanya Mahāprabhu. Śrī-kṛṣṇa-caitanya rādhā-kṛṣṇa nahe anya (Śrī Guru-paramparā 6).

So by worshiping Lord Caitanya Mahāprabhu, you simultaneously worship Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa is very difficult to worship. So whatever we are worshiping Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, that is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in His Nārāyaṇa form—Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa. In the beginning we should worship Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in the level of Lakṣmī-Nārāyaṇa, with awe and veneration, very strictly following the rules and regulation. Otherwise, Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa in Vṛndāvana, they, the devotees, they do not worship Kṛṣṇa because He is God, but they worship Kṛṣṇa. Not worship; He is above worship.

It is simply of love. Just like loving your lover: it does not mean worship. It is spontaneous, heart's business. So that is the Vṛndāvana position. So even though we are not on the highest standard of the Vṛndāvana level, still, if we do not feel separation of Kṛṣṇa, then we must know that we are not still perfect devotee of Kṛṣṇa. That is wanted: feeling separation. Therefore Yudhiṣṭhira Mahārāja could understand that, "Kṛṣṇa is no longer on this planet"; therefore he saw so many inauspicious symptoms.

Now, when Arjuna came back, he was asking, "Why you are so morose? Have you done this? Have you done that?" Everything. Now he is concluding, "I think your so great moroseness is due to separation from Kṛṣṇa, as I was feeling." Kaccit preṣṭhatama. Preṣṭhatama, this is superlative. As in the English language there is positive, comparative and superlative, similarly Sanskrit. Preṣṭha is positive, prestha parā is comparative, and preṣṭhatama is superlative.

Kṛṣṇa is the preṣṭhatama, beloved, in the superlative degree. Kaccit preṣṭhatamena atha. Preṣṭhatamenātha hṛdayenātma-bandhunā. Atma-bandhu, suhṛt. In Sanskrit there are different terms, atma-bandhu, suhṛt, bandhu, mitra—they all mean friend, but of different degrees. Different . . . Mitra means ordinary friend. As you have got, "He is my friend," that does not mean he is my intimate. So the best friend is suhṛt. Suhṛt means "without any return." If you think of somebody how he will be happy, that is called suhṛt.

So hṛdayenātma-bandhunā. Kṛṣṇa was always thinking of Arjuna, and that is the relationship. Kṛṣṇa says, sādhavo hṛdayaṁ mahyaṁ (SB 9.4.68). As the devotee always think of Kṛṣṇa, similarly Kṛṣṇa also thinks of the devotee. He thinks more. That is the reciprocation.

ye yathā māṁ prapadyante

tāṁs tathaiva bhajāmy aham

(BG 4.11)

If you think of Kṛṣṇa twenty-four hours, Kṛṣṇa will think of you twenty-six hours. (laughter) Kṛṣṇa is so kind. If you do some service for Kṛṣṇa, Kṛṣṇa will reward you hundred times. But people, they do not want. They think, "What we shall benefit by serving Kṛṣṇa? Let us serve my dog." You see? This is the misunderstanding. And our attempt is to awaken the dormant love of Kṛṣṇa. Everyone has got love—the stock of love is there—but it is being misused. They do not know where to place that love so that . . . because they do not know, therefore they are frustrated. Therefore they are frustrated.

So our Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is simply to educate people that, "You are loving. You are mad after a appropriate lover who can love you also. But that you cannot find out within this material world. That you will find out when you love Kṛṣṇa." That is our Kṛṣṇa consciousness. It is nothing very superfluous or concocted. Everyone can understand that "I want to love somebody." Hankering. But he is finding frustration because he does not love Kṛṣṇa. This is only.

Only if you turn your loving spirit to Kṛṣṇa, then you are fully . . . you will be fully satisfied, yayātmā samprasī . . . suprasīdati (SB 1.2.6). We are trying to peace of mind, to have peace of mind, full satisfaction. That full satisfaction can be achieved only when you learn how to love Kṛṣṇa. This is the secret. Otherwise you cannot. Because . . . because you want to love and get satisfaction, that is completed when you come to the platform of loving Kṛṣṇa.

So these Pāṇḍavas, they are also on the . . . on the level of loving Kṛṣṇa. Everyone is on the platform, but it is the difference of degrees. The same love. Somebody is loving his family, somebody is loving his wife, somebody is loving his society or friendship—society, friendship, they say divine. But the ultimate, ultimate point of love is when you come to Kṛṣṇa. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo (SB 1.2.6). Dharma means duty. That is dharma. Or the characteristics.

Dharma does not mean the religious fanaticism. No. That is not the Sanskrit meaning. Dharma means the real characteristic. I have several times explained that the water is liquid; that is the eternal characteristic of water. When water becomes hard, that is not eternal characteristic of water. Water is by nature liquid. Even when the water becomes hard, just like ice, the tendency is to become liquid again. Again. Again liquid.

So our real position, constitutional position, is to love Kṛṣṇa. But now we have become hard-hearted not to love Kṛṣṇa. Just like water becomes hard, ice, on account of some circumstantial position. When the temperature is very low, the water becomes hard. Similarly, if we do not love Kṛṣṇa, then our hearts will be harder and harder and harder. Heart is there for love, but why you are so hard-hearted? Why you are so much hard-hearted that we kill another fellow being or another animal—we do not care for it—for my satisfaction of the tongue? Because we have become hard-hearted. Hard-hearted. On account of not being a lover of Kṛṣṇa, we are all hard-hearted.

Therefore the whole world is unhappy. But if you hrdayena . . . therefore it is said, preṣṭhatamenātha hṛdayenātma-bandhunā. If you love Kṛṣṇa, who is our real friend, as Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā, suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ (BG 5.29) . . . so when you actually become a devotee of Kṛṣṇa, because Kṛṣṇa's qualities are there within you, although in small quantity, so you also become suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ. Suhṛdaṁ sarva-bhūtānāṁ means friend of all living entities. Suhṛdaṁ. What is the business of Vaiṣṇava? Vaiṣṇava business is to become compassionate with the persons who are suffering materially. This is Vaiṣṇavism. Therefore Vaiṣṇava's description is:

vāñchā-kalpatarubhyaś ca

kṛpā-sindhubhya eva ca

patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo

vaiṣṇavebhyo namo namaḥ

(Śrī Vaiṣṇava Praṇāma)

Patitānāṁ pāvanebhyo. Patita means "fallen."

So all living entities, being fallen in this material condition, they are all suffering. So Vaiṣṇava sympathy is there. If actually there is any sympathizer for the fallen conditioned souls, he is a Vaiṣṇava. He knows how, why they are suffering. Therefore he wants to give him the information—"My dear friend, you are suffering simply for forgetting your real lover, Kṛṣṇa. Therefore you are suffering." This is the message, Vaiṣṇava's message. For this message Kṛṣṇa comes Himself as the Supreme Lord. He also says:

sarva-dharmān parityajya

mām ekaṁśaraṇaṁ

(BG 18.66)

Your loving propensity has been distributed in so many things, but you are not happy, because if you don't love Kṛṣṇa, whatever you do in the name of so-called love, you will commit sinful life, disobedience. For example, if you are disobedient to the state law, that means your all activities are sinful. You may color it, "Oh, this is very nice," but that . . . that will not. Nature, because you are servant of Kṛṣṇa, jīvera svarūpa haya nitya kṛṣṇa dāsa (CC Madhya 20.108), your eternal position is to serve Kṛṣṇa. So without this knowledge, whatever service you are going to render to somebody else, and that is sinful.

There is the same example. If you don't obey the state laws, and you become a philanthropist . . . so I have seen in India. In India, when there was Independence movement—not only in India, in every country—when there was Independence movement, many persons were hanged, condemned to death. But you are a great lover of the country. But on account of his intense feeling for loving his country, he was hanged, because the law . . . he disobeyed the government law. Just try to understand. Similarly, if we disobey the supreme government laws, that is called dharma. Dharma means the supreme government law. Dharmaṁ tu sākṣād bhagavat-praṇītam (SB 6.3.19). Dharma means . . . and what is that dharma? Kṛṣṇa says, it is very simple thing, sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ.

Real religion is to surrender to Kṛṣṇa, or God. That is real religion. Without that point, all religions, they are cheating simply. Dharmaḥ projjhita-kaitavo 'tra, Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (SB 1.1.2) begins. Cheating religion. If there is no love of God, that is not the . . . simply some ritualistic formula, that is not religion. Just like Hindus go, as a ritualistic formula, to the temple, or the Muslim goes to the mosque, or the Christian go to the church. But they have no love for God; simply official.

Because they have to stamp themselves with some religious mark, "I belong to Hindu religion," "I belong to Christian religion." That is only for fighting, that's all, because there is no love. If you . . . if you are religious, that means you must be God conscious. So if you are God conscious, if I am God conscious, where is the cause of fighting? So that point they are missing; therefore such kind of religion is cheating religion, because there is no love.

So first thing is that we have to learn how to love. Sa vai puṁsāṁ paro dharmo (SB 1.2.6). That is first-class religion. Religious system you follow, yato bhaktir adhokṣaje. If you know how to love Adhokṣaja, that when there is question of love, then the next question will be, "Whom shall I love?" Therefore, Kṛṣṇa's another name is Adhokṣaja. Adhokṣaja means "beyond your sense perception." Here we love something which is within the category, or within the jurisdiction, of my sense perception. I love a girl or a boy, or somebody, my country, my society, my dog—everything—but that is within the jurisdiction of your sense perception. But God is beyond your sense perception. But still you have to love, and that is religion.

God is beyond sense perception, but if you love, although it is . . . He is beyond your sense perception, then you will realize God. Sevonmukhe hi jihvādau svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ (Brs. 1.2.234). Just like we are worshiping here Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa. Those who are not lover of Kṛṣṇa, they will think that, "These foolish person, they have brought a doll made of marble, and they are simply wasting their time." You see? Because he has no love. He has no love; therefore he cannot appreciate this worship of Kṛṣṇa, for want of love. And one who is lover of Kṛṣṇa . . . just like Caitanya Mahāprabhu, as soon as He entered the temple of Jagannātha, "Here is My Lord," He immediately fainted.

So what is the difference between the . . . there is the difference: a lover of God, he can see everywhere God is present.

premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena

santaḥ sadaiva hṛdayeṣu vilokayanti

(Bs. 5.38)

If you have actually . . . (indistinct) . . . lover of God, then you will see God in every step. Every step. Then, just like Prahlāda Mahārāja. Prahlāda Mahārāja, when he was being attacked by his father, he was looking over the column, pillar, and the father thought that his God might be there in the pillar, so he immediately, "Your God in this pillar?" "Yes, my father." "Oh." Immediately broke. To keep the words of His devotee, God came out. So appearance and disappearance of God is for the devotee.

paritrāṇāya sādhūnāṁ

vināśāya ca duṣkṛtām

(BG 4.8)

God comes for two business: to give protection to the devotee and to kill the demons. So for killing the demons, He does not require to come. He has got immense power. Simply by His indication, any person can be killed. There is sufficient power, udgaledhi. But He comes for His devotee, because His devotee is very much anxious. He is always seeking protection of the Supreme. So because the devotee will be satisfied by seeing Him, therefore He comes. That is the reason. Because His devotees are always feeling separation, just to give him relief, incarnation of God comes. Pralaya-payodhi jale dhṛtavān asi vedam (Śrī Daśāvatāra Stotra 1). Different incarnation come just to give relief to the devotees. Otherwise He has no business.

Then in the India there is a class of Hindus . . . they called so, but actually they are known as Ārya, Ārya-samāj. The Ārya-samājis' opinion is, "Why God should come? He is so great; why He should come here?" The incarnation, they do not believe. The Muslims also, they do not believe incarnations. They also press the same plea that, "Why God should come? Why He should appear like human being?" But they do not know, neither they can answer this question, "Why God would not come?" They say that God cannot come, but if I put the question, "Why God cannot come?" What is the answer? If God is all-powerful, why you are curtailing this power, that He cannot come? What kind of God is He? God is under your law, or you are under God's law?

So this is the difference between lover of God and the demons. The demons cannot think. They think that, "Maybe there is some God. He must be aloof, formless." Because he has got the experience of this form: limited. So therefore Māyāvādī philosopher says that when God comes, the impersonal—He takes the form of māyā. That is called Māyāvādī. They actually do not believe in God. Impersonalism, śūnyavāda. Nirviśeṣa-śūnyavādi. Some of them are nirviśeṣa: "Yes, there may be God, but He has no form."

And Māyāvādī . . . both of them are Māyāvādī, śūnyavādi, the Buddhists and the Śaṅkarites, so they do not believe. But we, Vaiṣṇava, we know how the atheists are cheated. Sammohāya sura-dviṣām (SB 1.3.24). Lord Buddha came to cheat the atheist. The atheists do not believe in God, so Lord Buddha said: "Yes, you are right. There is no God. But you just try to hear me." But he is God. So this is cheating. "You don't believe in God, but believe in me." "Yes, sir, I shall believe." And we know that he is God. (laughter) Keśava dhṛta-buddha-śarīra jaya jagadīśa hare (Gītā Govinda, Śrī Daśāvatāra Stotra 9). Just see māyā.

So sometimes cheating is required for the less intelligent class of men. But we are not cheating. We are very simple. Why should we cheat? Kṛṣṇa says:

man-manā bhava mad-bhakto

mad-yājī māṁ namaskuru

(BG 18.65)

So we say: "Please come here. Here is Kṛṣṇa, and you simply think of Him." Where is the difficulty? Here is Rādhā-Kṛṣṇa, and if you daily see, naturally you will have impression within your mind about Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. So at any place, anywhere, you can think of Rādhā and Kṛṣṇa. Where is the difficulty? Man-manā. You chant Hare Kṛṣṇa. As soon as you chant "Kṛṣṇa," immediately you remember the form of Kṛṣṇa in the temple, nāma-rūpa. Then you are hearing about Kṛṣṇa; you remember about His qualities, His activities, nāma, guṇa, rūpa, līlā, parikara, vaiśiṣṭa. In this way this, this you can practice. Where is the difficulty? This is the beginning of practice.

Actually Kṛṣṇa is there, but because I have no eyes to see Kṛṣṇa, I am thinking, "Here is . . . where is Kṛṣṇa? It is a stone, statue." But he does not know the stone is also Kṛṣṇa. Stone is also Kṛṣṇa. Water is also Kṛṣṇa. Earth is also Kṛṣṇa. Air is also Kṛṣṇa. Without Kṛṣṇa, there is no other existence. That the devotee can see. Therefore, whenever he sees stone even, he sees Kṛṣṇa. Here the atheist will say that "You are worshiping stone." But they are not worshiping stone; they are worshiping Kṛṣṇa, because they know that there is no . . . nothing else except Kṛṣṇa. Premāñjana-cchurita-bhakti-vilocanena (Bs. 5.38). That stage we have to arrive. How you can say stone is not Kṛṣṇa? Kṛṣṇa says . . . you have to understand Kṛṣṇa as Kṛṣṇa said. So Kṛṣṇa says in the Bhagavad-gītā:

bhūmir āpo 'nalo vāyuḥ

khaṁ mano buddhir eva ca . . .

bhinnā prakṛtir aṣṭadhā

(BG 7.4)

"They are mine." Just like I am speaking. I am speaking; it is being recorded and will replay, the same sound will come. And if you know that "Here is our spiritual master . . ." But the . . . I am not there. The sound is now different from me. Bhinnā. Bhinnā means "separated." But the . . . as soon as the record is played, everyone will know, "Here is Bhaktisid . . . Bhaktivedanta Swami." If you know. So that requires education. That Kṛṣṇa . . . (break)

sevonmukhe hi jihvādau

svayam eva sphuraty adaḥ

(CC Madhya 17.136)

So our process is very simple. Simply engage your tongue. Leave aside all other senses. The tongue is very strong. And tongue is our bitterest enemy, and tongue can be your most intimate friend, this tongue. Therefore the śāstra says that sevonmukhe hi jihvādau: just engage your tongue in the service of the Lord, and He will be revealed. Very nice. Now what . . . what we do with the tongue?

We talk: talk of Kṛṣṇa. We sing: chant of Kṛṣṇa. We eat: taste, eat Kṛṣṇa prasāda. You will understand Kṛṣṇa. Any foolish person, any uneducated or any position of life, you can use your tongue for Kṛṣṇa's service. Don't eat anything which is not eaten by Kṛṣṇa—your tongue becomes your most intimate friend. And don't talk anything except Kṛṣṇa. If you follow these two principles, Kṛṣṇa will be within your grip.

Thank you very much.

Devotees: Jaya. Haribol. (offer obeisances) (audio end)

(video 34:46) (kirtan) (end)